Hauntings of the Past

chapter 1

Just as Batman arrived on the scene, an eerie tick echoed throughout the air. A piercing, desperate scream rang out when an explosion suddenly went off. Batman was knocked backwards, his ears ringing. His body ricocheted off the floor on impact. A small burst of blood exploded from his mouth.  

Pulling his body off of the ground with a quiet cough, he quickly surveyed his body for any major injuries. Nothing too serious. Thankfully, he wasn't too close to the bomb when it went off. 

"Oooo, is that a Batsy I hear?"

Batman narrowed his eyes. He could recognize that voice anywhere. 

Joker.

Breaking off into a sprint, he silently rushed over to the direction the voice came from. Scorch marks littered the ground, debris scattered everywhere. The dark outline of a cracked building was barely seen laid across the black, gloomy background of Gotham. Approaching the site, he could hear small whimpers from what sounded like a child. 

He ran even faster.

Batman's eyes widened in horror at the scene. Red rivulets of blood dripped onto the ground. The Joker held up a small boy by the neck, with a gun to his head. A manic gleam shimmered in his eyes. Terror shined in the boy's eyes, tears streaming down his face. His mother's corpse lay nearby, still bleeding out from a piercing gunshot wound. The boy was covered in his parent's blood, a deep scarlet red staining his shirt.

Bruce couldn't help but be reminded of the day in the alleyway, when his parents' corpses lay pale and unmoving, the warm crimson blood surrounding him seeping into his very soul. A metallic tang spread throughout the air, tainting it forever. He stared down at the two lifeless forms beneath him, the clinking of pearls hitting the floor repeating in his mind. Salty drops of water dripped down onto his blurry, trembling hands. All he could see was red, red, red-

Joker's playful voice cut through his thoughts.

"You're finally here Bats! What took you so long? Are you getting olddd~ Don't be shy, tell-"

"Let him go," Batman growled, low and menacing. He was done with Joker's games.

"Aww, but where's the fun in that?"

Batman gritted his teeth, clenching his fists ever so slightly. Remembering his parents' deaths set his emotional capacity on the edge. Obliterating rage threatened to overtake him, but he knew he couldn't act rashly. There was a child's life on the line.

Suddenly, something shifted in the boy. His eyes were unseeing, taken over by panic. It... almost looked as if he was acting on pure instinct alone. In the blink of an eye, he turned around, knocked the knife out of Joker's hand, and bashed his head on his knee. Then, as fast as it came, it was gone. The boy stared in horror at Joker's incapacitated form and the sheer amount of blood covering him. 

Batman would have to look into that later. (Maybe Percy was a meta?) But, for now, he gently approached the boy, who looked to be around four years old. He tensed. 

"Hey, it's going to be ok. I'm not going to hurt you. Joker won't hurt you anymore, either." the detective reassured, making sure to keep his emotional turmoil under wraps.

The boy slightly relaxed but still sent a wary glance his way.

"What's your name?" Batman asked.

"I-I'm Perseus Ankyra, b-but please c-call me Percy." his voice came out as barely above a whisper.

"Alright, Percy. Do you have anyone to stay with?"

"N-no..." 

His voice trailed off and he looked down at his feet.

"Alright. I'll take you somewhere safe. But first, I'm going to have to tie up Joker, okay?"

Percy nodded hesitantly. Slowly, as to not startle the boy, Batman moved towards the incapacitated form lying limply. As he approached, he couldn't help but notice the sheer amount of blood trickling the villain's forehead. Batman narrowed his eyes. Percy was already strange enough, defeating Joker in the first place. He mentally added superstrength to his list of the four year old's potential powers. He tied Joker up for the police as quickly as possible. 

After he was finished, Batman moved back to Percy. He was looking a bit better now. 

"Percy, I'm going to take you to a trusted orphanage, ok? I'll make sure that no one hurts you there. I'll send a friend of mine to pick you up in the morning."

"Ok..."

On the ride to the orphanage, Batman informed Alfred about Dick potentially getting a new brother.

----------

Bruce had enlightened Dick about the situation with Percy. Dick was ecstatic.

Don't get him wrong, Dick loved Alfred and Bruce. Still, sometimes it would get lonely in the Manor and Alfred and Bruce were older than him. But Percy, Percy was 4! Around his age! (Not really, he was 10 but-) He would finally have someone to play with!

Dick understood that he would have to give Percy some time. Percy was still recovering from his mother's death. Dick knew what that felt like all too well.

So, he wasn't disappointed when at first, Percy was closed off. He tensed when all attention was on him and didn't talk often.

Eventually, Percy grew more comfortable with everyone. He revealed his long-hidden sarcastic side. 

Most importantly, him and Dick became inseparable.

They would play pranks together, muffling their giggling when they saw Bruce drenched in glitter from head to toe and look away when Alfred found half of the cookies in the cookie jar mysteriously missing. Dick would teach Percy how to swing from the chandeliers.  They would cuddle together when one of them had a nightmare. On Christmas, they would decorate the Christmas tree. Dick would always make sure to put a blue star on the top, just for Percy.

For two years, Wayne Manor was filled with the joyous laughter of children.

Everything came crashing down when Dick turned 12.

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This chapter is inspired by the first chapter of Why I Run by @Fandom_Queen1000. Anyways, this is one of my first works, so constructive criticism is appreciated!

Why do I feel like I'm being really awkward right now.

Meh.

. . .

Ok I can't-

Like talking with humans is hard.

Why am I dragging this out.

AHHH-